The religious relics collected by the Forbidden City include four categories: Chinese Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Taoism, and Shamanism. Chinese Buddhist relics are mainly based on various Buddhist classics collected by the Qing Palace, as well as various Buddhist statues that entered Tibet after the establishment of the Palace Museum. More than 500 Taoist cultural relics are stored in the two halls of the Qin'an Hall and the Xuanqiong Treasure Hall, which are dedicated to Taoist idols, offerings, ritual instruments, and scriptures. Shamanic relics are stored in the Xinuan Pavilion of Khun Ninh Palace, and there are dozens of statues and props used in shamanic sacrifice ceremonies. The Taoist and shamanic cultural relics of the Forbidden City have been in the original storage area, and the cultural relics have not been separated from the ancient buildings, preserving a large amount of original information, which has a higher historical and cultural value than the general cultural relics. Tibetan Buddhist cultural relics account for more than 90% of the total number of religious cultural relics, originally stored in many Tibetan Buddhist halls in the Qing Palace, these cultural relics in the Buddhist halls are maintained as is, reflecting the overall space of religious buildings and cultural relics combination, most of the cultural relics of Tibetan Buddhism are derived from the precious gifts of the emperor by the ethnic and religious leaders of the Mongolian and Tibetan regions in the Qing Dynasty and the Buddhist art masterpieces created by the courts in the interior, including many foreign Buddhist art works from India and Nepal.
1. Wood carved gold lacquer Tsongkhapa statue
Wood carved gold lacquer statue of Tsongkhapa, Qing, height 117 cm, width 98 cm.
Tsongkhapa was the founder of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism (Yellow Buddhism) and a Buddhist theorist. His real name is Rosanzaba. The people of Huangzhong County, Qinghai, are revered as Tsongkhapa because they call Huangzhong "Dzongkha" in Tibetan. It is like sitting in a sitting position, sitting on a lotus pedestal on its back. With a solemn face and a slight smile, he wears a robe on his right shoulder, rotates the Falun seal with both hands, and places a lotus flower on his shoulder, on which is placed a sutra scroll and a sword. This statue of Tsongkhapa is the original treasure of the Xianglou. Baoxiang Building is located in the Cining Garden of the Forbidden City, which is the east annex building of Xianruoguan. In the 30th year of Qianlong (1765), for the convenience of his mother, Empress Xiaoshengxian, emperor and empress dowager, it was transformed into a two-story Buddhist building, and the internal furnishings were modeled after the Fanxiang Building. Tsongkhapa seems to have been made according to Qianlong's will to "make wooden tires sweeping gold cover paint". In the forty-third year of Qianlong (1778), in order to welcome the Sixth Panchen Lama to Chengde, Chengde built the Sumire Fushou Temple modeled on the Tashilhunpo Monastery, thinking that the Panchen Lama would stay. Most of the furnishings of the Baoxiang Building, including the statue of Tsongkhapa, were moved to the Chengde Sumire Fushou Temple, which should have been remade after Qianlong forty-three years later.
2. Silver gilded statue of the Vihamran Lama
Silver gilded statue of the Sixth Panchen Lama, Qianlong 46th year of the Qing Dynasty (1781), 73.8 cm high and 47 cm wide.
The Panchen Lama wears a gilded spire with a crown, the original inlay between the eyebrows is missing, the eyes are bent, the corners of the mouth are adducted, the face is plump, and the look is quiet and kind. He wears a yuda saga robe and wears a cross-necked shoulder. The edges of the clothes are gilded with gilded Wada, and the peonies and honeysuckle patterns are engraved. The right hand is the chest, the thumb and index finger are pressed, and the french seal is applied; the left hand is placed in front of the abdomen, and the meditation seal is knotted. Sit with your legs crossed in an auspicious manner. The lotus seat is covered with gilded throughout, and the upper part is decorated with a circle of beads, and the lotus petals are straight and full.
Panchen is the abbreviation of Panchen Erdene, Ban is Sanskrit meaning "scholar proficient in the Five Wisdoms", Zen means "great" in Tibetan, and Erdene is Manchu, meaning "treasure". The Sixth Panchen Lama, whose real name was Bethan Yeshe, was a patriotic religious leader. To celebrate the 70th birthday of the Qianlong Emperor, the Sixth Panchen Lama set off from Tashilhunpo Monastery in Tibet and reached Chengde via Qinghai and Inner Mongolia. Qianlong attached great importance to the pilgrimage of the Sixth Panchen Lama, and constantly sent escorts and greetings along the way, and gave many precious gifts, and also built the Sumire Fushou Temple in Chengde modeled on the Tashilhunpo Monastery as a place for the Panchen Lama to stay. After participating in the birthday celebrations, the Sixth Panchen Lama left Chengde via Gubeikou to Beijing and stayed at Xihuang Temple. In the 45th year of Qianlong (1780), on the second day of the first month of November, the Sixth Panchen Lama died of smallpox at xihuang temple in Beijing.
In order to commemorate this respected and beloved Tibetan living Buddha, the Qianlong Emperor ordered people to make wax statues according to the portrait of the Sixth Panchen Lama and modeled on the specifications of the silver statue of Tsongkhapa in the palace. The craftsmen were instructed to make four silver-gilt statues of the Sixth Panchen Lama, which were enshrined in Beijing's Xihuang Temple, the Forbidden City Yangxin Hall (later offered to the Panchen Shadow Hall in the West Annex of Yuhua Pavilion), the Chengde Sumeri Fushou Temple, and the Summer Resort Zifu Hall (Infinite Life Hall). The silver statue of the Sixth Panchen Lama, originally enshrined in the Forbidden City, is now stored in the Baohua Hall in the Forbidden City. The silver statue originally enshrined in Xihuang Temple is now preserved in Lama Temple. The silver statue on display at the Palace Sculpture Museum was transported back to the Forbidden City from Chengde in 1914, but it is uncertain whether it came from the Sumire Fushou Temple or the Purple Floating Hall. Another silver statue of the Sixth Panchen Lama from Chengde was handed over to the Luoyang Municipal Bureau of Culture in 1973 and is now on display in the Luoyang Museum.
3. Gold-inlaid jewelry tower
Gold-inlaid jewelry tower, Clear, height 70 cm, bottom diameter 38 cm.
This pagoda has three major characteristics: one is the use of precious materials, the tower body is gold; the second is richly decorated, inlaid with pearls, turquoise, lapis lazuli, etc., with obvious Tibetan style decorative flavor; the third is the unique shape, the center of the central tower, surrounded by eight small towers, representing the four squares and four dimensions and eight directions, which is the embodiment of the Tibetan Buddhist concept of space. This pagoda is a typical form of The Diamond King Kong.
4. Do not empty the buddha statue
Buddha statue of the Buddha, 10th century, red bronze, height 29.2 cm. Qing Palace Old Collection.
The Buddha is one of the five Buddhas, living in the north, representing the wisdom of the five Buddhas and the five wisdoms, also known as karma wisdom. This Buddha is generally a meditative sitting posture, and standing figures such as Buddha-figures are not common.
This Buddha statue wears a shoulder-to-shoulder robe, the right hand is fearlessly sealed, the left hand is down with a corner of the robe, the right leg is slightly extended, standing on a single-layered lotus seat, with a ridge between the lotus petals, and the upper edge of the lotus seat is decorated with beads. Under the lotus platform is a square Sumiya seat, and the Tibetan Buddha name is engraved in the middle of the corset. The back of the image is the head light and body light in the form of a body piercing, and the edge is engraved with a curve to indicate the flame pattern. This statue has the typical Kashmiri statue modeling style: wearing a three-leaf jeweled Buddha crown with a crown hanging from the shoulders; the face is full and the eyes are wide open; the shoulders, chest, cuffs, and bottom edges are treated quite thickly and heavily, and the engraved pattern is used as decoration; other parts are thinly clothed, paying attention to the undulating changes of the muscles, and the limbs are round and delicate. The abdomen is slightly decorated with a U-shaped light coat pattern, and a curve is cast at the bottom edge of the legs to show the presence of the robe. The styling features such as thin clothing, realistic expression of the human body and gentle and smooth U-shaped clothing patterns are the inheritance of the ancient Indian Gupta dynasty tradition, which had a profound influence on later Buddhist statues.
5. Bronze statue of King Kong
Bronze statue of King Kong, 12th century, 19.5 cm high. Originally a god of praise in ancient Bon, Vajrapani was later subjugated by Padmasambhava and became a Buddha-figure or protector in tantric buddhism. This image is made of brass from India. King Kong's mother has three round eyes, wears a skull crown, her red hair rises, and a pig's head sticks out to the right between her hair. Naked figure, necklace hanging human head big Ying Luo. The left hand of the Togabala Bowl symbolizes her blissful experience and hints at the success of her career. The left arm holds Kazhangga, the most common dharma vessel of the Anuttarayoga lineage, with skeletons, dry and fresh human heads at the top, representing the "three poisons" of greed, anger and delusion in the Buddhist teachings. The sword in his right hand symbolizes the removal of all ignorance from man and the summoning of true wisdom. The right leg is curled up, the left leg is bent independently, in a dancing posture, stepping on the corpse, and the sense of movement is quite strong. The right knee leans against the thick lotus branch, so that the vajrapani statue balances the center of gravity and makes the statue more secure. Honeysuckle backlit, single-layered, simple lotus pedestals and multi-angle pedestals were the most common forms of the East Indies Polo period.
6. Immovable Vajra statue
Immovable Vajra statue, yuan, brass, through height 26 cm. Qing Palace Old Collection.
The immovable Vajrapani is said to manifest the wrath of the Great Sun to subdue demonic obstacles and support the Dharma. Its shape is raised in the right hand, holding the long sword across the back of the head, the left hand vertical index finger, little finger, flexed middle finger knot period ke handprint holding a lasso, lunge standing posture.
This immovable vajra statue has red hair like a sun wheel, two snakes intertwined in the middle, wears a five-leaf crown, the crown leaves are short and evacuated, and the hair is inserted horizontally from left and right after the bun, which is one of the characteristics of the statue in western Tibet. Like wearing a pendant on the chest, wearing an arm bracelet, using a coiled snake as a bracelet and a foot bracelet, the decoration is simple and simple. The large abdomen of the immovable King Kong, the lower body is dressed in a short skirt, and the skirt is engraved with a swirling grass pattern, which is a traditional decorative pattern that has appeared on the 13th-century statues in Western Tibet. Like the right leg lunge standing, the legs pedaling strongly, the feet lying under the elephant face god. The lotus petals are plump and thick, with a slightly curled tip, beads on the upper edge, and a slight expansion of the lower part, which is a common form in the East Indies Para style statues. Like the original Qing Palace Yellow Signature: "Great Interest Fan Copper Lima ... In the fifty-seventh year of Qianlong (1792), it was harvested on the first day of September..." (the original signature was damaged) and other words, it can be seen that this statue was dedicated to the imperial court during the Qianlong period.
7. Statue of Vishnu Buddha
Vishnu Buddha statue, yuan, brass, tong height 36 cm. Qing Palace Old Collection.
Vishnu Buddha, also known as the Great Sun Rulai, is the first of the five directions of the Tantric Vajrayogini, representing the Dharma-realm nature of the five Buddhas and the five wisdoms, and is also the Dharma-body Buddha of the three-body Buddha, with a very high status of divinity.
This statue of Vishnu Buddha has distinct stylistic characteristics of Tibetan and Western statues. The buddha statue sits on a lotus platform, with his face to his neck covered with mud, and his hands as chest knots and fist marks, which are unique to Vishnu Buddha. The Buddha statue has a tall and flat hair bun, wears a five-Buddha crown, and the crown leaves are slender and flower-like, and are connected by copper casting lines, which is the embodiment of the typical "bracing and casting technique" in Western Tibet. The lotus petals of the lotus seat are wide and fat, and the upper edge is decorated with double layers of fine beads, which is also a feature of Tibetan and Western statues around the 13th century. The lower end of the lotus seat is outreached, and the bottom edge is decorated with a circle of Dalian beads. The edges of the five Buddha crowns are inlaid with red copper, the eyebrows of the Buddha are inlaid with gold, the shoulders are decorated with miscellaneous flowers, the upper body is naked, the chest and arms are decorated with jewels and bracelets, the pearl turquoise and silver and copper are inlaid, the waist is tightened, the lower body is wearing a thin skirt, the waist and legs are engraved with lines and patterns to indicate the distinction and pleats of the upper and lower dresses, and the small clusters of carved flowers are decorated between the regular patterns, and the above various shapes and decorative features have a distinct mark influenced by the image style of the East Indies Para Dynasty. This statue is a representative work of early Tibetan and Western statues that preserve more Pala-style features.
8. Yongle style bell pestle
Yongle bell pestle, Ming Yongle, height 22.5 cm. Qing Palace Old Collection.
This set of bell pestles was made during the Ming Yongle period, and the inner cast "Daming Yongle Nian Shi" was made by the Ming court. The bell is a pestle-shaped handle with a Lotus head on it, and is cast with six-character mantras and ornaments such as Ying Luo and Vajra Pestle. The pestle is a copper-plated five-stranded pestle with five peaks at each end, representing the five Buddhas and five wisdoms.
The bell is one of the commonly used dharma instruments in Tibetan Buddhism, also known as the Tibetan bell, vajra bell, etc., which is often sounded when practicing the Dharma, and is a magic instrument for the buddhas to warn sentient beings and make them happy. Because of its strong body, it is called King Kong, and because of its shape is five cobalt shape, it is also called five cobalt bells. Tibetan Buddhism regards it as a dharma instrument representing wisdom and virtue.
The pestle is the name of a Buddhist dharma instrument, originally a weapon of ancient India, which is used by Buddhist tantra to show the wisdom of perseverance, and is a magic weapon for stopping troubles and ambushing demons. Made of gold, silver, copper, iron or hardwood, eight to sixteen fingers long, of which sixteen fingers are the upper, twelve fingers are the middle, eight fingers are the lower, and there are single shares, three shares, and five shares at both ends. It is generally believed that the vajra pestle symbolizes bodhichitta, and if you do not hold the vajra pestle and chant the Buddha, you will not achieve the goal.
In the fourth year of Yongle (1406), the Tibetan shangshi Halima traveled thousands of miles to Nanjing to meet the Yongle Emperor and received a solemn courtesy. This bell pestle is in the Yongle Emperor's gift.
9. Bronze gilded secret seated statue of Manjushri Bodhisattva
Bronze gilded secret seated statue of Manjushri Bodhisattva, Ming Yongle, height 19.5 cm, bottom width 11.8 cm, bottom thickness 8.5 cm. Qing Palace Old Collection.
Manjushri Bodhisattva sits on a four-armed figure with a beautiful rounded face, looking down and looking serene. Wearing a five-leaf crown, a thin waist tunic, a pleated twist and turn, smooth undulations, and elegant and flowing. The sword is held in the right hand of the main arm, the lotus stem is held in the left hand, the arrow is held in the other two hands, and the bow is held in the left hand, and the whole body sits on his knees. Sitting on an upright lotus seat, the lotus petals are slender and straight, and the upper and lower edges are decorated with beads. The seat is inscribed with the inscription "Daming Yongle Nian Shi".
10. Bronze gilded seated statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva
Bronze gilded seated statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva, Ming Yongle, height 19.2 cm, bottom width 12 cm, bottom thickness 8.9 cm.
Guanyin Bodhisattva has a rounded face and a peaceful demeanor. He wears a five-leaf crown on his head, high flat hair bun, upper body, and exquisite carvings and ornaments on his arms. Waist long skirt, pleats fold smoothly, sit on the right side, the right leg naturally droops to step on the small lotus, and the left leg is coiled on the lotus seat. The body leans slightly to the right, and it is relaxed and relaxed. The right hand holds the lotus stem to caress the seat surface, and the left hand holds the prayer on the chest. Sitting on the back of the lotus seat, the tip of the lotus petal is rolled into three round beads, and under the covered lotus petal is carved a triangular petal decoration, the lotus seat is tall and gorgeous. The seat is inscribed with the inscription "Daming Yongle Nian Shi".
Nowadays, there are many collections of Buddhist enthusiasts, all of whom are well-known or rich, and the price has soared repeatedly in terms of market collection value, and the value is hundreds or even tens of millions of dollars in different eras and different well-preserved, so collecting is the hobby of the rich and loved by Tibetan friends.
Source: The picture and text come from the official website of the Forbidden City, the copyright belongs to the original author, please indicate the source when reprinting.
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